The Literature Rack - White 4wds Part I

White has an interesting 4wd tractor history.  The company offered 4wd tractors from 1969-1986.  Over the next two issues of The Toy Tractor Times, I would like look over the various White 4wd brochures that were offered.

The 4wd line for White started in 1969 with the 139 hp Minneapolis-Moline A4T-1400.  An Oliver 2455 rated 139 hp was also offered by White in 1969.  The early 1969 White literature is extremely rare. I have not come across these pieces in my 20 years of literature collecting.  I believe the 1970 Oliver buyers guide pictures an open station LP version of the 2455.

In 1971 the Moline and Oliver 4wds were upgraded to the 143 hp A4T-1600 and 2655.   White offered these tractors from 1971-1973. Minneapolis-Moline offered a colorful brochure featuring the A4T-1600.

Oliver's 2655 brochure was a typical Oliver brochure of the early 1970's. A single page flyer with black and white pictures. This brochure gives the advantages of Oliver 4wd power and the 2655's spec's.

Minneapolis-Moline A4T-1600 Brochure	Oliver 2655 Brochure Front	Oliver 2655 Brochure Back
White marketed the Oliver and Moline 4wd as an all-season power to make farms more efficient. The 143 hp 4wds were built to plow in the furrow and on-land with 4 equal traction tires. A farmer could accomplish every dream in the standard White 4wd isolated, self-contained capsule cab. The big 4wds were easy to handle with an 88 degree articulation which allowed the driver to cut turns sharply.
Black & White Oliver 2655 Company Photo	1973 White Buyers Guide	2655 and A4T-1600 side by side
The White 4wds offered 10 forward speeds, from 1.5 to 22 mph. The rugged 6-cylinder, 585-cubic-inch diesel powered the 4wds. A 105 gallon fuel tank kept the White 4wds in the field all day. 1973 was the last time a Minneapolis-Moline 4wd and Oliver 4wd were offered by White. The A4T-1600 and Oliver 2655 appeared in full color in the 1973 White buyers guide. Near the end of Oliver and Minneapolis-Moline their products were sold as dual brand White products in the same buyers guide.
1973 Minneapolis-Moline A4T-1600 from the White Buyers Guide	1973 Oliver 2655 from the White Buyers Guide	Oliver and Minneapolis-Moline = 125 Years of White History
Lee Shuknecht & Sons Oliver 2655 : www.shuknecht.com	Lee Shuknecht & Sons Oliver 2655 : www.shuknecht.com	Voble Farms Minneapolis-Moline A4T-1400
The White 1973 Buyers Guide proclaimed that the company was up to something for its 125th Anniversary. What green Oliver and yellow Minneapolis-Moline farmers did not know was that something really big was on the way for 1974. Next month we will look at the next generation of White 4wd literature.
Wade Hilton's Minneapolis-Moline A4T-1600
Early White 4wds can still be found in use today. T.T.T owner Jason Hasert photographed both Oliver and Minneapolis-Moline 4wds in May 2004 for the Big Iron IV video.
New at the Literature Rack
All new for 2005 is Buhler-Versatile is a new range of High Horse Power 4wds. A single sheet brochure on the new 435, 485 and 535 Versatile. Specs are on the back.
2005 CaseIH Buyers Guide International Harvester printed its first full product line buyers guide in 1961. This yearly guide was published by IH through 1985 and continued by CaseIH each through 1996, missing only 1992. A CaseIH buyers guide was printed in 2000 and now returns in 2005. CaseIH is the only OEM to offer a buyers guide. CaseIH's guide is 11 pages listing every tractor, harvester and implement offered by the tractor maker in the United States.
2005 John Deere Calendar. Available at John Deere dealers. The 05' calendar features classic John Deere brochure pictures compared to 2005 John Deeres.